Cyclic GMP responses to cholinergic agents as modified by islet-activating protein(IAP) and calcium antagonists

Calcium antagonists as anti-atherosclerotic agents.

Islet-activating protein. Enhanced insulin secretion and cyclic AMP accumulation in pancreatic islets due to activation of native calcium ionophores.

The mechanism whereby "islet-activating protein" (IAP) purified from the culture medium of Bordetella pertussis potentiates insulin secretion was studied by experiments in vitro with islets of rats once injected with IAP (0.5 micrograms/100 g body weight, 3 days before killing) or with islets that had been exposed to IAP (0.1 to 100 ng/ml) for 24 h. The IAP treatment markedly enhanced insulin s...

Guanylyl cyclases and signaling by cyclic GMP.

Guanylyl cyclases are a family of enzymes that catalyze the conversion of GTP to cGMP. The family comprises both membrane-bound and soluble isoforms that are expressed in nearly all cell types. They are regulated by diverse extracellular agonists that include peptide hormones, bacterial toxins, and free radicals, as well as intracellular molecules, such as calcium and adenine nucleotides. Stimu...

Regulation of vascular smooth muscle cell phenotype by cyclic GMP and cyclic GMP-dependent protein kinase.

This basic science review examines the role of cGMP and cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG) in the regulation of vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) phenotype. The first such studies suggested a role for nitric oxide (NO) and atrial natriuretic peptides (ANP), and the downstream second messenger cGMP, in the inhibition of VSMC proliferation. Subsequently, many laboratories confirmed the anti-pro...

Inhibition of cyclic GMP-binding cyclic GMP-specific phosphodiesterase (Type 5) by sildenafil and related compounds.

The cGMP-binding cGMP-specific phosphodiesterase (PDE5) degrades cGMP and regulates the intracellular level of cGMP in many tissues, including the smooth muscle of the corpus cavernosum of the penis. Sildenafil (Viagra), a specific PDE5 inhibitor, promotes penile erection by blocking the activity of PDE5, which causes cGMP to accumulate in the corpus cavernosum. In the present study, sildenafil...